Contact Information

Jerry Knighton

Mr. Knighton serves as Director of the Office of Access and Equity and is the University's designated Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator. He monitors the University's recruitment and retention programs for minorities and women and is responsible for ensuring that all policies regarding equitable treatment for faculty, staff and students are followed. Additionally, Mr. Knighton investigates claims of discrimination by faculty, staff and students and engages in training and other activities to prevent incidents of discrimination/harassment. Individuals who believe that they have been subjected to illegal discrimination are encouraged to contact Mr. Knighton for advice and assistance in resolving the problem.

Mr. Knighton also works with the Graduate School in their efforts to recruit minority graduate students and coordinates graduate fellowship programs for new and continuing minority graduate students. Additionally, serves as the University's point of contact for implementation of the University's Diversity Procurement Initiative minority and women-owned businesses.

Mr. Knighton is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he obtained both a B.A. in Political Science and a M.A. in Public Administration. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Clemson University.

Priscilla Harrison, MBA, PHR

Priscilla Harrison is the newest addition to the staff. In her position of Senior Consultant, she serves as lead investigator and conducts investigations and mediates complaints of violations of Clemson University’s policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination in employment, programs and services. She is the University’s ADA Coordinator and administers its overall ADA compliance efforts. She assesses disability accommodation needs for faculty and staff and advises departments in resolving accessibility concerns.

Ms. Harrison has over sixteen years of experience in Human Resources working in the areas of employee relations, employment law, organizational effectiveness, performance management, training, regulatory compliance and recruiting. She brings a background of diverse experience in multiple industries such as higher education, aerospace, medical and computer technology.

While new to the office, Ms. Harrison is no stranger to Clemson. She is a graduate of Clemson University with a MBA and Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.

Amber Lange

Amber Lange is the current Site Director of the Emerging Scholars Program at Clemson University. Amber attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she received a B.S. in International Business Administration. She then moved down to Clemson University where she received her Masters Degree in Public Administration and was first exposed to Emerging Scholars. She then moved to Washington DC where she worked at American University for four years. In June of 2007 she received a call from the Director of Access and Equity at Clemson, asking if she would like to move back and work with the Emerging Scholars Program. She has been back in Clemson ever since. Her main goals are to raise more funds for the program and to expand to other colleges and universities around the state of South Carolina.

Paula Porter

Paula Porter has joined the staff bringing with her experience working in the Chief Diversity Office. As Administrative Coordinator, her new role involves serving as lead coordinator for the Civil Treatment Professional Development Program. She is responsible for coordinating all communications with program participants, coordinators, and facilitators. She monitors participant registration and summarizes program evaluations for reporting purposes. Additionally, Ms. Porter coordinates and reports on all other office training to include Managing Diversity in the Workplace, AA/EEO Hiring Procedures, ADA, Harassment, and Title IX. She also monitors the office's case management system and coordinates the development of office publications. She is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelors of Arts in Language and International Trade.

Brenda Manley

Ms. Manley serves as Office Manager and is responsible for managing all activities related to personnel, payroll, procurement and accounting. She oversees multiple budgets, manages office support staff and assists professional staff members in meeting departmental objectives. Ms. Manley also assists with the planning and implementation of meetings, workshops, projects and conferences.

Alfreda Webb

Ms. Webb serves as Human Resource Specialist for the office and is responsible for logging and processing all Access and Equity hiring forms. She maintains communication with Human Resources and departmental hiring managers regarding the status of their paperwork. She checks for accuracy and notifies departments when processing is complete. If you have questions regarding the approval status of your hiring forms, Ms. Webb can assist you.